


Five Years is a Long Time

by KerrySlade



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: College, Established Relationship, F/F, Love, Magic, Post-Canon, Post-Series Pre-Movie, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-27 15:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8407519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KerrySlade/pseuds/KerrySlade
Summary: This is my humble attempt at trying to fill the gap between Season 3 and the movie. Just letting my imagination go with what that time was/is like.  First chapter starts off a little slow, I promise the rest will be more action packed.  Starts with Laura's POV, but knowing me that'll switch. Hope you like it.





	1. Finding Normal

Stretching in my chair, I glance at the clock on the wall and realize how late it's gotten. A quick scan of the library reveals I'm one of the last ones here. Time to go I guess. As I'm collecting my things I think about how normal this library is compared to the library at Silas. Just a building, just a place, no ancient god lurking in the walls. I do miss our library, and the cupcakes. Somehow, I've been drawn to this place since the beginning. Something always drags me back here. 

Walking out the double doors and into the night air, I take a quick scan of my phone. Laf sent me a photo of their most recent experiment. I turn my phone sideways to get a better look at it. Is that a squid or some sort of gerbil? I message them to __"Please be safe". They'd opted to stay at Silas and research the gates and all the weirdness in Styria. Somehow Perry agreed to stay along as well. I don't think either of them could bear the thought of being separated from each other again. Perry actually turned out to be a pretty good research partner. Laf needed someone to not just blindly believe whatever supernatural whatsit they came across, the Scully to her Mulder.

Speaking of Perry, the next message was her reminding me that Carm seriously needed to get up-to-date on her vaccinations, and also needed to get tested for various diseases she might carry from the 1600s. She linked a particularly terrifying article on the most common illnesses from that time, which I straight up refused to read. I worry enough as it is. I sent her a message back letting her know we already had that covered, and all the blood tests came back normal. Carmilla was the healthiest ex-vampire ever. Thank god. 

As soon as Dad understood that Carmilla was human again it had thrown all his overprotectiveness and paranoia into full gear. He almost made her stay in a sealed up white room for several months while her immune system, __"Stabilized" in his words, but of course she refused out-right. She'd never come into contact with some of the colds and viruses we have today and he was worried how her now-human body would handle it. He did somehow talk her into wearing one of those little white masks for a few weeks when we were in public. She'd never admit it, but his doting meant a lot to her.

The last message I checked was from Carm. She was letting me know she'd be late tonight, something about needing to keep her __"veil of mystery". She ended the message with something in French, __"C’est cela l’amour, tout donner, tout sacrifier sans espoir de retour.” I work my way through the translation, sighing when I finally get it: __"That is love, to give away everything, to sacrifice everything, without the slightest desire to get anything in return". Grinning like an idiot to myself I punch in a response.

 __"So, you don't want anything from me? Really?"

I start heading towards my bike when I hear the familiar ding. __"Je te veux toi et seulement toi". I knew this one already, she loved to say it to me: _"I want you and only you" _.__

Carm had been slowly teaching me French over the last few months. We're planning a trip to Paris over summer break, and I want to be ready. German was next on the agenda to teach me, mainly so I would know what the hell she was saying when she was drunk or angry. One can only hear, __"Du bist unmöglich” so many times before you get curious.

Pulling on my helmet, I send one last message to her, _"On my way home"_

Biking through quiet streets I try to wrap myself in the moment that I'm in. I can't ever remember being this happy. Going back to school had been exactly what I needed after last years' craziness. Things here are so very well, normal. We'd found a college we both liked, with decent journalism and philosophy departments in a town that could best be described as quaint. No gates of hell or evil deans here, just a normal university. Carm wanted to graduate from school with me, so she was going for her bachelor's again. 

Carm, what can I say about Carm? The love of my life? My soulmate? All descriptions seem like they fall short. They don't adequately explain how my new heart feels like it's going to explode every time I see her. How the slightest lip bite sets me completely over the edge. How her simply saying, __"Laura", in that gravelly voice of hers, can derail any thought process I ever have. I am completely enamored with her. I may have given my heart to the vampire Carmilla, but this human version has stolen my soul.

When Carmilla was a vampire there was always a touch of darkness, always a hint at something dangerous, something evil. I was afraid at first when we got together that I was attracted to that darkness; like some girls have a taste for bad-boys. I've realized the darkness was the part of her that gave me the most pause, that I disliked the most. 

Carmilla has tried to describe what being a vampire was like to me. She said it was kind of like having all your emotions cranked to 11 at all times, that the slightest provocation could lead you to lash out. She said that Danny couldn't be blamed for anything she did. No new-born vampires can control themselves. Carm seems to have a begrudging admiration for Danny. She's amazed that she managed to walk away from the Dean and save Kirsch. Carm's not sure that she herself could have done that at Danny's age. We haven't seen or heard from Danny in months. I posted our new address on the Silas ethernet, just in case anyone needed us. We received a postcard not too soon after; it was of some Castle in Scotland that Carm recognized immediately. The card was blank except a simple ''D" at the bottom. 

The early days after saving the world were difficult. After watching me die she couldn't stand to be apart from me, and if I'm honest I didn't want to be away from her either. We spent an exorbitant amount of time holed up in a hotel room in Austria, until Dad drug us both back home. When the nightmares started up, neither of us knew what to do with them. Carm would wake up screaming, and it was all I could do to talk her down. I had to convince her every time that I was really there, that she hadn't lost me, that I wasn't dead. It scared me terribly, to see the look on her face in those moments. I've never seen her more desperate. 

When I finally recommended we seek professional help, she gave in with barely a protest. Her only requirement was that we go together, which I'd planned on doing anyway. The sessions have slowly helped. She still has nightmares sometimes, but she can tolerate being away from me now. Progress. 

Humanity has been a challenge at times for her. The last year has contained three colds and one nasty case of the flu, one fall off her motorbike that resulted in a broken arm, and one trip to the optometrist and subsequent glasses when she had trouble reading. All events that were proceeded by ranting and tantrums. She gets over it eventually, and each day I see less and less complaining. She's adapting as best she can. 

I can finally see our little house as I round the corner. It's a cute little place that Carm bought for us. She won't tell me how much money she has exactly, all she will say is, __"Money won't ever be a problem for us, Creampuff."

Slipping into the front door I hang up my coat and bag. I pad into the kitchen to make myself some cocoa, giggling as I catch sight of the evidence of our previous evening. The kitchen barely survived our attempt at making dinner that somehow ended with us making love instead on the counter. Eh, I'll clean it up later. 

Settling down on the couch to read, I'm surprised when the next thing I know someone is placing a light kiss on my nose, I must have dosed off. I smell her perfume before I open my eyes, and I breathe her in. I smile as I open my eyes to find her crouched next to me. She's running her fingers through my hair and grinning at me. My god, is she beautiful. 

"Hey Cupcake, sorry I'm late." 

I yawn and grab one of her hands still tousling my hair to plant a kiss on one of her palms. She watches me with tired eyes, and I remember she's been up since 4. Trouble sleeping again. I crawl off the couch and drag her by the hand to our bedroom. She stops me however at the doorway to our bedroom when she abruptly drops my hand. I look back at her in confusion and I'm immediately concerned by what I see. Her face is wild, and scanning the floor like she's looking for something. I've seen that look before when she wakes up from nightmares. She's panicking. 

"Carm?" I say her name with concern. 

Finally, she meets my eyes. "There's someone here, and I can smell them. Laura, why can I smell them? I shouldn't be able to.”


	2. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visitor throws a wrench into Carmilla and Laura's happy life. Some things you can't undo and some things change you forever. Saving the world has its consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Trying to keep updating this once a week. Had to do a bit of research for this one. Wasn't very well read on Sumerian gods and goddesses. Fascinating stuff if you're curious.

-Carmilla-

I can taste him. He’s in my nostrils and in the back of my throat. I’d know that stench anywhere. Laura is holding my hand, trying to get me to calm down. She doesn’t know what sits in our living room, what’s awaiting us there. I was a fool to think that world was behind us, that I was truly human. I should have seen it coming. Maybe I could have protected her better from this. 

She shakes me out of my reverie, “Carm, you can’t be a vampire again. Listen, you still have a heartbeat.” She has a hand on my chest and I finally stop long enough to hear my pulse thundering in my ears. I breathe in slowly, watching her stare down the hall. 

“Is there someone in our living room?” She asks with a faraway look in her eye that I don’t recognize. 

Before I can react she’s marching down the hall. 

“Laura, NO.” Of course, she ignores me when I say that, she always does. 

Trailing behind her, I manage to snag her hand and maneuver her behind me. She starts to protest, but I continue into the room. He’s sitting casually in Laura’s favorite reading chair, looking intently at his fingernails. He is tan and thin, with the barest wisp of a mustache.

“Mircalla! How good to see you again! Although I do believe the last time we met you promised to, let's see if I remember this correctly, ‘Rip my fingers off one by one and feed them to me.’ Yes, that was it.” He’s exuberant but I can feel the malice behind his words. Shit. 

“Isimud, I’m surprised you got out of Alexandria.” I casually walk toward the couch, not letting on that I’m edging closer to the sword we have hanging over our mantle. 

“Oh, those peasants didn’t know what they were doing. They were throwing out ancient texts like they meant nothing. I just relieved them of a few. How was I supposed to know they actually had a minotaur as a guard?” He’s picking at lint on his perfectly tailored 3-piece-suit. The man always did know how to dress. I glance quickly at Laura who hasn’t moved from the edge of the room and is watching me for a sign of what we should do. This is so not the Laura from a few years ago. Old Laura would have already asked him a billion questions and gotten us both killed by now. Patience looks good on her. 

Seeming to notice her for the same time, Isimud turns and smiles broadly at Laura. 

“There she IS! Oh, my goodness, I would never have guessed it by looking at you. Willed your body to live after losing your heart, and then stopped the end of the world with an embrace. That was genius, absolutely stunning.” Laura is glancing from the strange man to me, question in her eyes but I have no answers for her. I don’t know why he’s here. 

“Uhhh, thank you?” She’s out of her depth, and yet she’s still polite. Gotta love her.

“No, thank you, my dear. I questioned what our Lord was doing by choosing you as a priestess, but he was right on the money. I should have known. He is the god of wisdom after all. Sometimes it helps to have your faith be rewarded.” 

“Woah, woah, woah. I’m no one’s priestess. What are you talking about?” Laura is starting to get angry. She’s moved her hands to her hips, and has that look on her face that I affectionately call ‘kitten with a razor-blade’. 

“You darling! Didn’t you think it was odd that you managed to stay alive 10 minutes after having your heart ripped out? Do you really think a mere mortal could do that? I gotta tell you, I can’t imagine how you pulled that off with absolutely no training. I’ve got apprentices that couldn’t keep themselves alive for 10 seconds, let alone 10 minutes sans a heart, and they’ve been training for decades.” He sighs. 

“What do you WANT?” I pull his attention back to me. I’m officially over this conversation, I don’t like the sound of any of this, and Laura is starting to fidget. Fidgeting is stage one of Laura-Hollis-freakout-mode. I’ve seen it before. I need to get him out of here fast before we move to stage two. Stage two includes ranting, pacing, and me never getting to sleep again. 

“Oh Mircalla, always the impatient one. I never understood what Inanna saw in you. I mean, your artistry with the violence was truly something to behold, but your manners? Abysmal. How’s mortality treating you kitty-cat?” He tilts his head sideways, looking at me with condescension in his eyes. “Or are you not as mortal as you appear? Any abilities come back to you yet? Maybe that vampiric strength, sense of smell?” I stumble a bit at his words. How can he know that, did he hear us down the hall? 

“Ha, I knew it! You two are quite the pair.” He claps his hands like it's some grand game and I’m struggling to keep my temper under control. His gaze slides from me to Laura. 

“Did you both really think that you were done? That you would live happily ever after and the monsters would all go back under the bed? You faced off against multiple gods and thought you’d just come out unscathed? I have to say, I admire your naivete. Unfortunately, that is not to be for either of you. We all have our roles to play. Mircalla, if you move one more step closer to that blade I will rip you apart.” He didn’t even look to me when he said it, Laura has his full attention now. 

“He wants you alive, lord knows why, but I can still make you suffer. I’d prefer you 6 feet under if I’m honest. You complicate things too much.” He’s looking at Laura with interest and I’m imagining ripping him to pieces in my cat form. God, I miss that. 

“But I suppose you’re right, I should get down to it.” Before I can react, he flashes a hand towards Laura, palm outward, and suddenly I can’t move. Light pours out of his hand and it's so bright my eyes burn but Laura seems transfixed by it. 

“That’s it, my pet. This will take awhile to get used to, but when you’re ready for the second test, come find me. You’ll know how. In the meantime, they will find you. I know you’ll take care of it. Good luck.” Nodding quickly, the light vanishes, and in an instant he’s gone. Laura stands stock still like a statue. I rush over to her grabbing her face in my hands. 

“Did he hurt you? Are you alright? Look at me.” She finally meets my stare and her eyes have gone completely black, aside from what looks like tiny bits of light. 

“Mircalla Karnstein, born 1680 in Styria, Austria. Murdered at 18 only to be raised by the goddess Inanna as a vampire. Previous abilities included strength, speed, mild pyrokinesis, teleportation, and possible others. Current abilities are unknown due to her mortality being returned to her also by the goddess Inanna.” Laura’s voice sounds weirdly robotic and monotone, with none of the energy or emotion she normally possesses. A pit opens up in my stomach. 

“Laura, Laura? Come back to me. Can you hear me? Come on Creampuff. If you don’t come back I’ll have to throw out all of your cookies.” Something shifts behind her eyes and she shakes her head. Her eyes are slowly fading back to brown. 

“You wouldn’t dare.” 

I let out the breath I’ve been holding and run my hands through her hair. “Well, there’s no way I can eat 5 packs of Oreos. Maybe the neighborhood kids want them.” I say, smirking at her, trying at humor to calm the situation. She reaches up and crushes me into a hug. She’s shaking, and I can feel the tears already dampening my shirt. 

“Hey, hey. Laura, Laura. You’re ok, I’m ok. We’re fine.” She pulls away from me for a second and looks up at me. 

“I wish that were true Carm. We’re in serious trouble, Enki wants me as a priestess, and I think I just passed the first test.”


	3. Mystery Science Theater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When unexpected supernatural happenings continue, Laura and Carm are forced to request help from a friend. Just what exactly is going on with Laura?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this update. I've been trying for an update a week but totally failed last week. After the election, I had some motivation and creativity issues. I think I've moved on through all the stages of grief, so let's create some shit. Hope you like it.

3 days later

Laura

“Alright Hollis, whenever you’re ready.” Lafontaine was setting up the last of their equipment and looks at me expectantly. 

“Laf, I don’t even know what you want me to do.” I’m tired and cranky, and starting to feel like a lab rat. Carmilla saunters up next to Laf and raises an eyebrow at me. 

“Laura, Carm told me what happened the other morning. What did you do to cause it?” Laf was looking at me, with a clipboard at the ready. 

I cringe and all I want to do is run and hide. I close my eyes and grab the bridge of my nose. This is so not happening. 

I don’t hear her approach, but I know she’s there without looking. Warm hands grab mine and pull them down away from my face and I feel her gentle touch on my cheek. I open my eyes and dark brown orbs stare back at me. I feel my breath hitch at the sight of her. She still has this effect on me. I startle her by leaning in quickly for a kiss, but she doesn’t pull away. She sinks into it, nibbling on my bottom lip. I giggle into her mouth. She pulls me into a hug and I bury my face into her neck with her raven hair tickling my face. I know what she’s done. No one can calm me down that quickly. They should market it as a drug. Carmilla is better than valium. 

“Laura, if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to. We can give it another few days.” Her voice purrs quietly in my ear. 

“If you’re not ready, you’re not ready.” I can feel myself already shaking my head. 

“No, Laf’s right, we need to figure out what’s going on with me.” 

And something was definitely going on. After our late night visitor departed a few nights ago, I wore a hole in the carpet pacing and worrying. He showed me things that I didn’t understand, and wasn’t entirely sure that I did want to understand it. That was before the, um, “events” started happening. 

The first ‘event’ took us by surprise. The following morning, Carm woke up before I did as usual and started making coffee downstairs. I rolled over in bed and wished I was downstairs already without having to actually move. In a flash, I found myself behind Carm, without moving a muscle. My sudden appearance startled the crap out of Carmilla, causing her to drop my Tardis mug, but it never hit the ground. I just seemed to lean down and grab it out of the air, like it had stopped. 

Carmilla took one look at me holding the mug, and picked up the phone to call Laf immediately. Laf had boarded the next plane, Perry would soon follow. They didn’t feel right leaving Silas to its own devices. That place just has a habit of going south so quickly. Mel was headed back to take over as soon as she could. 

Now, here we were, all set up in our garage with a cadre of scientific gizmos all around me. I am wired up to some odd contraption that looks like Laf raided Radioshack to build. Their inventing has just leapt into overdrive in the last year. 

“I don’t know what I did guys. I just thought something, and somehow made it happen. I’ve tried to do it again and nothing. Maybe it wore off?” 

Laf is thinking so loud I can hear the gears grinding from across the room.

“Well, I suppose it’s possible. We don’t really know what was done to you. I have questioned your sustained life after the heart removal for sometime.” 

Carmilla balks. “And you didn’t think we should, I dunno, check Laura out? That maybe you should let us know something might be wrong with her?” Carm is furious in a second, and I realize how much she hasn’t forgiven Laf for the events at the crater. That bridge may be well and truly be burned. 

“Hey, the doctors checked you both out, and everything was fine. I checked the tests myself. I just figured it was something that Ereshkigal had done when you made that deal. I had no idea that it might be something else.” They are eyeing Carmilla who is quickly invading their personal space. 

“Carm, stop. This isn’t helping.” Carm doesn’t even register that I’ve said anything, she’s too busy glaring Laf to death. 

In an instant, I find myself standing between the two of them, gently pushing Carmilla back a few paces. I never walked over. I hear Laf quickly exhale behind me and shout out, “That was awesome! Do it again! I think I caught all of that!” 

Carm for her part is smirking at me, and I know she just baited me. “You did that on purpose didn’t you?” She chuckles a response.

“Cupcake, you think too much. This seems to be something that you just do on instinct. I don’t think you can control this by thinking your way around it. You’ve gotta just let it happen. That’s the way fire control worked for me.” I forget sometimes that magic isn’t exactly a new thing for Carm. She never liked to use it in front of me, she’s never told me why exactly. She’s still mysterious after all this time. 

I glance at Laf who’s rewinding and playing my little magic trick over and over. It’s going to be a long day. 

Many hours, and various attempts to surprise, startle, or shock me into using my magic later, we finally moved on to Carmilla. Thankfully her abilities were much easier to catalogue. 

The sense of smell was back, as we already knew, but it wasn’t as strong as before. She still couldn’t control fire anymore, and she seemed to have no ability to change into her panther form. 

“Ok, so what’s next?” Laf was reading through her notes excitedly. “Ohhh, strength, right. So, Carmilla, have you noticed your strength returning at all? I know initially you were within normal human strength parameters when you crawled out of the pit.” They looked at Carm intently, who threw a glance towards me and a raised eyebrow. We knew already that at least some of Carm’s strength was back, but how we knew Carm didn’t know if she should tell. Looking at Carm, I knew she was gonna let me field this one. 

“Ummm, we, uhhh, know that her strength is back.” I manage to throw out there, hoping Laf doesn’t notice my blush. Laf is nodding and scribbling furiously.

“What happened, what set it off?” They're still staring at the notes and miss the smirk that Carmilla is sporting. 

“We, well, uhh…” I swallow. Before I can continue, Carm finally chimes in, “We were fucking in the shower and I held her up for like 30 minutes.” I roll my eyes at the self-satisfied look on her face, getting her strength back definitely made her happy. She hated being weaker than me. 

Laf is thinking loudly again. “Well, that’s still within normal human capabilities.” Perfect Laf, ignoring everything but the science. 

“I held her up with one arm.” Closing my eyes, I’m praying that Laf doesn’t ask the next inevitable question. 

“What was your other arm doing?” And there it is! Mortified, I’m hiding my face in my hands.

Fortunately, Carm seems to be done over-sharing, and simply replies, “A lady never tells.” 

Seeming to realize what they were just asking, Laf turns as red as their hair and turns pages in their notes with fervor.

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies if the translations suck. I'm not particularly good at either of those languages. PM me corrections if needed and I'll update asap.


End file.
